Gmail Update Adds 10GB-Sized File-Sharing to Your Emails

Now integrated with Google Drive so that you can easily insert files up to 10GB in size from your Drive account directly into your emails without ever having to leave Gmail.

Google has just announced a dramatic new Gmail improvement that makes it simpler to share files with family and friends than ever before.

“Since Google Drive launched in April, millions of people have started using Drive to keep, create and share files,” says the company in a press release. “Starting today, it’s even easier to share with others: you can insert files from Drive directly into an email without leaving your Gmail.”

You heard it right: file-sharing with others just got even easier.

For now when you want to share a file with others in an email all you have to do is click the drive icon at the bottom of the new compose look to “insert files using Drive.”

Where the plot thickens is maximum file size. Instead of the antiquated 20MB file cap you can now send files up to a whopping 10GB in size! It’s not exactly groundbreaking when compared to other popular cloud services like Dropbox, but the convenient Gmail integration really sets it apart from the competition.

“Have you ever tried to attach a file to an email only to find out it’s too large to send?” adds Google. “Now with Drive, you can insert files up to 10GB — 400 times larger than what you can send as a traditional attachment. Also, because you’re sending a file stored in the cloud, all your recipients will have access to the same, most-up-to-date version.”

Gmail will also double-check to make sure that all the listed recipients are able to access the files you’re trying to share, giving you a chance to change file’s sharing settings without leaving the email your composing.

“So whether it’s photos from your recent camping trip, video footage from your brother’s wedding, or a presentation to your boss, all your stuff is easy to find and easy to share with Drive and Gmail,” it says.

The new Drive icon file-sharing option will slowly roll out to users over the “next few days” so don’t be too worried if it hasn’t appeared yet. To be able to use the feature when it does go live in your account you’ll need to make sure you’ve opted-in for Gmail’s new compose experience.

Jared Moya
I've been interested in P2P since the early, high-flying days of Napster and KaZaA. I believe that analog copyright laws are ill-suited to the digital age, and that art and culture shouldn't be subject to the whims of international entertainment industry conglomerates. Twitter | Google Plus